


Turning and Returning

by pyrotechnik



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-08
Updated: 2018-07-08
Packaged: 2019-06-07 07:08:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,136
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15213839
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pyrotechnik/pseuds/pyrotechnik
Summary: Link woke up. Which was strange, because he was pretty sure he was supposed to be dead. But there's a beautiful voice talking to him and voices that are him-but-not-him in his head.





	1. Prologue: Awakening

**Author's Note:**

> “ “= speech  
> {}= Link’s mind  
> {OOT Link}= Ocarina of Time Link (Hero of Time)  
> Sheikah Technology  
> {Skyward Sword Link}  
> {Original Legend Of Zelda Link}  
> I have really been enjoying playing Legend of Zelda: Breath of The Wild. So of course I had to try my hand at a story. There will be some dialogue lifted directly from the game. Some of it I do change up a bit. I want to explore a Link that is very quiet, and sometimes lost in his own head, but not necessarily a mute Link. I also want to explore some side characters and some original characters I've had floating around in my head. This is a bit of an experiment for me.

“___”

“Open your eyes.”

“Open your eyes.”

_{No}_

“Open your eyes.”

_{No}_

“Wake up, Link!”

 

 Link woke up. He stared at the receding ceiling above. _{This isn’t right_ , he thought. _I’m supposed to be dead. **Am** I dead? I **should be** dead.}_ Link remembered very little but a flash of light and cold. He remembered rocking and bobbing, like a cork in water. There was something, though, bone deep inside him that said he _really_ should be very dead. 

Around him was a blue glow. Cool liquid receded from his chest and limbs. As it flowed away from his body, he let his eyes roam around. He lay in a bed like recess, the top of which had covered him like a clam shell. When the last of the liquid drained away, Link sat up. What little liquid had remained steamed away in the cool, damp air. Link swung his legs over the side of the bed and set his feet on the ground. The room was filled with a misty fog. Blue lights on the bed, ceiling, and an odd stone table illuminated the room. The walls had what looked like constellations picked out in orange lights.

Link stretched and flexed his muscles, then curiously explored the space. After first looking around the bed, he made his way over to the table. Just as he reached out to touch, the blue glow brightened. Part of the table rose up and turned, popping out a rectangular object. The beautiful voice he thought he dreamed returned.

“That is a Sheikah Slate. Take it. It will help guide you after your long slumber.”

As he picked the Slate up, Link was, oddly enough, not surprised to hear the device sing a cheerful little tune as it lit up. When it did so, the raised area on the table receded and a part of the nearby wall pulled apart like stringy bread, revealing that it had been a door all along. Link padded out into the next room. There he found two chests. Link rattled the lock on the first chest, pulling and tugging. Finally, in sheer vexation, he kicked the stubborn thing. He immediately regretted it, letting out a yelp and clutching his sore toes. However, the lid popped open, revealing an old pair of trousers and boots. The other chest held a threadbare shirt and a belt with a loop to hang his Sheikah Slate. Everything was too short, but Link shrugged, and pragmatically put the clothes on. _{Beggars, after all, couldn’t be choosers.}_ There were a few barrels laying around, but if they’d ever contained anything it had long since rotted away. He checked the large crates also stored in the room, but they were as tightly nailed as the day they were made. He couldn’t even smell anything.

Curiosity satisfied, Link moved down a long ramp. In the gloom, he could make out another stone plinth. At the base of the ramp worked in carved stone on the floor, was a curious knotwork medallion. Finally, here, he could see signs of time passing. This door didn’t seem to have kept all the elements out. Dirt and rubble littered the floor, as if it had been brought in by snowmelt. There was another strange door. Upon closer inspection, he could see this door had an eye medallion in the center. Perhaps the previous door had, too. He didn’t get a very good look.

Link approached the plinth, cocking his head when he once again heard the voice.

“Hold the Sheikah Slate up to the pedestal. That will show you the way.”

Cautiously, Link tapped the slate on the pedestal. Once again, it lit up blue, but this time, there was writing.

 **Authenticating.**  And then, **Sheikah Slate confirmed.** The eye sigil lit up in blue, and this time the door opened like a basket being unwoven. Light spilled into the place, and he squinted at how bright it was, after the gloom he’d awoken to. As his eyes adjusted, he heard again what he was starting to think of as his beautiful voice.

“Link. You are the light-our light-that must shine upon Hyrule once again. Now, go.”

 _{Go where?},_ he wondered. _{Beautiful voice, that is not very helpful}._

But he couldn’t just stand around. He ran up the stairs.

 _{Definitely snowmelt},_ he thought, seeing the debris and puddle. _{Maybe a snow slip?}_ He stared at the boulder in front of him. Clambering over it left him more winded than he felt that it should. The open air drew him like a moth to a flame. He raced out of the opening and ran until his toes hit the edge of a drop off. His breath caught at the sight before him.

A lush forest lay at his feet, and past it, rolling green hills. Further on, he could see a volcano spewing lava, and a mountain, cleaved in two. It was amazing. It was **{Beautiful}**. Movement from the corner of his eye caught Link’s attention. As he turned, he saw it. There, on a hill, an ancient structure. **{The Temple of Time. It’s still here.}** The voice that was not his voice recognized it. Movement again caught his eye. There, on the hillside, stood a figure. It was hooded, and Link couldn’t see it’s face. They stared at one another for a moment, then the figure turned and walked toward a small campfire.

 _{Well, then,}_ thought Link. _{Perhaps they can tell me about this place. This…. Hyrule.}_ He strode forward to meet destiny.

 


	2. Chapter 1: The Great Plateau Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Notes:  
>  “ “= speech  
> {}= Link’s mind  
> {OOT Link}= Ocarina of Time Link (Hero of Time)  
> Sheikah Technology  
> {Skyward Sword Link}  
> {Original Legend Of Zelda Link}

Chapter 1: The Great Plateau Part 1

 

Mushrooms littered the path. Link discovered that he could store things into the Sheikah Slate. He pulled it out and began tucking away mushrooms as he came across them. He also picked up a small tree branch. Link gave it a few practice swings, then tucked it in a holster along his back. _{Better than nothing, I suppose.}_

“…”

His head shot up. It was his Beautiful Voice!

“Link.”

“Link.”

“Head for the spot marked on your Sheikah Slate.”

Link yanked out his Slate and began to poke at it. He punched buttons until he found what could be loosely termed a map. It was blank. Or, well, mostly blank. There were what looked like outlines drawn on the map, and three markers. One stood for himself. The other said “Shrine of Resurrection”, and the last was a blinking, glowing yellow dot.

_{Whatever happened to “x marks the spot”? No, looks like it’s follow the leader instead.}_  Link snorted a soft laugh at his own absurdity. Best not tease the Beautiful Voice, even in his own head. She might not come back.

As Link meandered along the path, he noticed that it looked like it had once been a paved road. Here and there, paving stones still peeked out of the grass. The rest had been lost to time. Link made his way to an overhang by an apple tree. Scrambling up the tree, he snagged a few apples for his suddenly hungry stomach. Then he turned to the overhang and the small campfire. Sitting there was the figure. Now up close, he could tell it was an old man.

“Oh ho!” The old man greeted him. “Well met, stranger! It’s rather unusual to see another soul in these parts.”

Link wracked his memory to try and pull up some sort of return greeting. Coughing a few times to get his voice going, he replied with a very soft, very blunt, “Who are you?” He winced. That sounded terrible.

The old man laughed. “I’ll spare you my life story. I’m just an old fool who’s lived here, alone, for quite some time now. But, what brings a bright-eyed young man like you to a place like this?”

Link peered suspiciously at the old man. Was he…. being teased? But that was a good question. Then only thing was...

“Where are we?” He really needed to work on talking to others.

The old man laughed once again and went on to tell Link about the Great Plateau and the story of the abandoned temple and the decline of the kingdom of Hyrule. The old man collapsed back to the fire and began to toss apples on the flames. The old man gave Link a quick lesson in roasting meats, fruits, and veggies over open flames. Link quickly tossed some of his mushrooms and apples on the flame, accidentally picking up the old man’s baked apple in the process. After a good ribbing from the man, Link began to head towards the ancient temple. He stopped though, at a stump.

“Old man, can I take your axe? I don’t exactly have a weapon.”

The old man raised an eyebrow. “Oh, I’m sure that won’t be the case for long. But yes, I have another axe. Feel free to use that one. “Link nodded and packed it in his Slate.

Some large trees yielded bird’s nests with eggs, and Link quickly scavenged them and then searched beneath the trees for nuts. To one side, he saw a small lake with fish, and, on an island, a sword. That would be very useful. He dove of a piece of land that jutted out perfectly over a ring of water lilies. As he came up for air, he heard a small, piping voice laugh at him.

“Yahaha! You found me! Huh? You’re not Hestu! Who are you? You can see me? I didn’t know your kind could see the children of the forest! If you run into Hestu, please give him this! All my friends are hiding from Hestu in lots of different spots. They’ll give you goodies, too!”

“What…are you? And what’s this?” Link was curious.

“I’m a Korok. A child of the forest! And that’s a Korok seed. Hestu collects them. We played a biiiiiiig trick on Hestu! But you can give them back to him if you see him. Otherwise, he’ll be sad.” Link nodded.

“If I see Hestu, I will give this to him,” he replied and swam toward the island. Once there, Link made his way to a small rock with a rusted sword stuck into it. **{Heh. The Sword in the Stone. }** The not-his-voice was amused. _{What?}_ What was funny about a sword stuck in a rock? **{It’s an old story. There was once a knight who pulled a magic sword from a stone. He united the kingdoms, and peace reigned. When he died, the sword was returned to the stone. It’s said that the knight would be reborn and be able to pull the sword in times of need. That sword was the}** _{Master sword. It was the Master Sword that only the Hero could draw. Why is that familiar? Why do I know that? And who ARE you? Are you….me?}_ The voice was silent for a bit.

**{I’m…you and I’m…not you. Let’s just say I’m a part of you for now.}** _{Me but not me. How helpful.}_ Link grumbled to himself. He tucked the rusty sword away. It might be useful later on.

Link splashed around in the small lake for a bit. He attempted to catch fish, but fared much better with the frogs. Eventually, he made his way to the temple complex.

The first small temple he came to held only a few barrels. He found some food in one, and tried to see who the temple was dedicated to, but couldn’t make out the small seal on the ground. The temple had been horribly destroyed, but there were a few tall windows still standing. He wondered if the glass that had once filled them had been colored. In his mind’s eye, he could see soft green light coming through stained glass windows.

Link continued out the small temple and up the steps. He halted suddenly, looking at an odd pot-like statue. He approached it cautiously, ready for it to rise up and…..and….something. But it lay frozen in a small puddle of water. He searched around it, and found a small screw, which he stuck in his Slate. He’d been noticing that everything he added to the Slate was tagged with a name and description, then sorted. It was very useful.

He resumed his trek to the next small temple. Along the path, there was an odd, red creature. Link could hear it grunting to itself. He crouched down and crept quietly up the steps. He wrinkled his nose in disgust as he watched the creature dig in it’s pig-like snout with one finger, then lick the appendage. It then scratched its backside and began to dig around in the dirt at its feet. In the other hand, it held a rough club. Link gently took out his axe and when he got close enough for a good swing, whacked the creature in the head. It gave a sharp squeal then dropped to the ground. Link stared in bemusement as the flesh and bones of the creature melted away in a sickly purple and black swirl of smoke. All that remained were the club, a tooth, and a small horn.

**{Servants of Gannon rarely leave much of themselves behind when killed. It may be because they are more on the demonic side than other denizens of Hyrule, which are more on the natural side. But, creatures that might be considered divine rarely leave any evidence of their deaths, either. Perhaps it’s just because they aren’t part of the natural world?}**

Link stored the items, then snuck up on another of the creatures **{Bokoblins}** hiding in the small temple. This one held a chest. He was lucky, the chest contained a much better pair of pants and sturdy, comfortable boots.

Link peered at the medallion on the ground. He could barely make out a circle and curved line. He studied the few remaining empty windows. He had a brief flash of memory. Light streamed through windows in all shades of blue. Some so dark, they almost appeared black, and some so pale a color, they were barely there. The light danced and dappled on the stone floor, looking like {Waves, on the sea. The sea was the most amazing thing I’d ever seen.} _{Another not-me?}_ {No. No I think I was you. Or maybe a part of you?} **{A part of us all, and still not all of who you are NOW}.**

Link huffed in aggravation. _{That still doesn’t help much, you know.}_ He got an odd feeling of regret and apology.

Link continued up the stairs of to the last of the small temples. This one was just as abandoned as the rest. However, he had a much easier time making out the emblem on the medallion. Three wavy lines, and when he looked at the empty windows, for just a moment, he saw red. Red like fire. For some reason, that brought with it an odd feeling of dread. Link shook it off, focusing instead on the final temple. The Temple of Time. He took a deep breath, held it for a moment, then blew it out.

One last bokoblin stood in the doorway to the Temple. To either side, were again the odd sculptures. Some, however, had what looked like spider legs. _{Pot spiders,}_ Link thought. _{Or maybe spider pots.}_ Link quickly killed the bokoblin and collected his spoils, then checked the pot spiders. Again, all that he found were a few screws. Thought they were still and dead, the pot spiders still gave him the shivers. As though he were just waiting for one to wake up and….and….and…………GAH! He didn’t know. The not knowing was the worst part. Especially when a visceral part of him said that it was very important he did know.

As he entered the Temple, he felt the not-voices crowd forward. **{The Temple of Time. This is where everything changed for me. Once, it was a gateway. The holiest of holy places in Hyrule. Now, it’s just a crumbled shell.}** There was grief in the deep voice. {Oh, but look!} This voice was lighter, like the wind in the skies. {The Goddess still stands. It’s Hylia. She is the protector Goddess of Hyrule. Something from my time remains.}

Link didn’t really recognize anything. There was a sense of the familiar, yes, but nothing definite. Still, he set out to explore the Temple. In one corner, he found pots containing arrows, an opal, and a chunk of amber. Further back, a chest yielded a bow. Looking up, Link could see a hole in the floor above him. He stepped back out into the atrium and looked up. There was a small balcony. He took a grip on the wall and jumped. The aged stone gave him places to grip with his toes and fingers, and he rapidly scaled the wall, stepping off onto a small balcony that overlooked the Temple. Very little remained, and he picked his way carefully over the small area. Satisfied, he moved to climb back down. Then an urge seized him. He bent his knees and leaped. Link yelled, heart in his throat, and then made a four-point landing, rolling forward to absorb the shock. That was fun. Terrifying, but fun. He wandered towards the back of the Temple and caught sight of an opening. And even better, a ladder. Link grinned and started to climb.

The ladder led to the roof of the Temple. The belfry had crumbled on one wall, leaving a way to get in. Inside was another chest, also holding a bow. Link peered out the broken windows and discovered another path that could take him even higher. He was going to climb to the steeple. When he had gone as high as he could, Link noticed leaves bobbing in the wind. He gave them a poke, and to his surprise, another korok popped up with a cheery “Yahaha!  You FOUND me!” The little creature swung around on his leaf, staring at the wide -eyed Hylian.

“Are you playing too, Mr. Swordsman? That’s great! We’re playing such a big game!”

Link shook off his surprise. “We? How many of you are there?”

The little korok thought for a moment. “There are so so so many, many, many, many, many, many, many, many, many, many, many, many, many, many, many, many of us. But in this area? I think thirteen. You should find us all! It’ll be a great big game of hide and go seek! Look for us in all the places you can think of, and all the places you _can’t_ think of, too! HEHEHEHEEEE!” The korok giggled and swung wildly around his leaf.

Link felt exhausted just watching him. _{Giant game of hide and go seek, huh?}_ Link nodded.

“I’ll look for you,” he agreed. The korok grinned.


End file.
